Pelosi notes Peace Prize win by Chinese dissident

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) noted the Nobel Peace Prize win by Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo on Twitter on Friday and called on the Chinese government to allow his movement to gain traction.

"Congrats to #LiuXiaobo! The Chinese government should cease its efforts to suppress #Charter08 movement," she tweeted.

Her office later released a longer statement.

"As this year’s recipient of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize," it read. "Liu Xiaobo joins the pantheon of great leaders for non-violence, justice, and freedom throughout history ... His message of reform is an inspiration to the entire world. He and fellow activists deserve the attention and partnership of freedom-loving people everywhere. I continue to call for Liu Xiaobo’s immediate and unconditional release, and for the Chinese government to adhere to its own constitution and respect the rights of the Chinese people."

Liu, 54, is serving an 11-year sentence for "subversion" related to his authoring of "Charter 08," a treatise demanding broad political reform in China.

The Nobel Committee noted he has been a spokesman for non-violent
reform in the country for more than two decades, and that he participated in the
Tiananmen Square protests in 1989.

The prize was the first for a Chinese dissident in more than three
decades.